Grade-crossing protector



Feb. 28, 1928.

P. W, HODGKINSON GRADE CROSSING PR'JTECTOR Filed June 28, 192'? Patented Feb. 28, 1928i UNITED STATES BERCY HODGXINSON, OF SIT. PETERSBURG, FLOR GRAPE-CROSSING PROTECTOR This invention relates to a device for protecting operators of motorI driven or other vehicles frominadvertently or careless! ruiming upon a dangerous place in the roa such as a railroad or similar crossing.

It is well known that drivers of automobiles, either inadvertently or carelessly, drive upon railroad or similar crossings without assuring themselves that it is safe to do so,

As a result, many lives are lost and much property is destroyed.- Attempts havebeen made to meet this situation by legislation requiring vehicles' to come to a stop before crossing. These have proved as ineffective as bells, signs, signals, 4gates, etc. ,'such as have been in everyday use for a long period :of time. More recent ,it has been proposedto provide obstructions, in the forni of rid .S across the road adjacent a railroad or simi ar 2Q crossing, to compel the driver o f avehicle to slow up before` crossing the railroad." Such obstructions are objectionable because if made high enough to be eiftive, they require the vehicle to rise and fall as it passes over vehicle proceeds slowly, the oceupantsof the car, as well as the car itself, are subjected to severe shocks.v Such obstructions have ac-` upward projection. f v A further object ot the invention is to provide aroad impediment so formed that it will be caused to yield or be retracted' when forces are slowly applicdin adownf ward direction, as by the wheels of a slowlymoving vphicle, but which will be comparatively unyielding to sharp blows having a large horizontal component'such as caused by a vehicle wheel approaching the imnediment at high speed.

Across the im ediment at high speed them, so that even if the operator of the4 to the passage of a cary over a substantial'- Application' mea :une 2s, 1927. serial ne. ananas.A

A further lobject of the invention is to provide av construction that `vwill compel the driver-.of a vehicle to move over4 a. `yielding impediment 'at slow speed, if he would protect his car from injury.

Further objects of the AAinvention -will appear as the description of the invention proceedsl with reference to -the accompanying drawing in which.

Fig. l a plan view of s. crossing and the adjacent-.sections of the roadway, with the yielding impediments in position, the arrows indicating t e normal direction in which the vehicles move across said crossing.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional Avi'ewof one of the yielding impediments and an elevation of a motor vehicle about to cross it, the

yposition of the vehicle wheelfand the inipedment after the vehicle has slowly moved thereover being indicated in broken lines.4

Fi 3 is a view'similar to Fig. 2 showing t ev-relativepositionpof the impediment and vehicle wheel when it is' attempted to Similar re erence characters indicate Iils.-

parts throughout the several views.

In the Vdrawin ,numeral 4 indicates the roadway at av angel-ous portion thereof,

such as a railroad crossin 5. Adjacent said crossing`ridges or impe iments 6 are provided that extend across the road.l Preferably, Aaplurality of reflecting lenses 7 are setin the ridges or-im 'diments.6. lenses may be colored rede and beso designed as to reflect the light projected by thehead lights of a vehicle to call attention,v after darkness,v to the impediment in the road. Rid es 6 may extend completely'aero the roa except in the paths ordinarily traveled by the ,vehicle wheels, At these points, indicated by numeral 8 on the drawings, snit-able recesses 9 are formed in the road. Said ifecesses may be lined with concrete or other suitable material 10 having a concavity 11 formed therein, said concavity being foi-,ined

as a surface of ievoliition so that it will constitute a firm support and bearing for il movable impediment'12.

Preferably, impediment 12 is formed of concrete and may, if desired, be .provided with a covering 13 of sheet metal, though Such ico

such covering may be omitted. Impediment 12 has an under surface constituting a surface of revolution -14 that matches the surf ace 11. Said. impediment is also provided jwith an upwardly rejecting edge 15, that normally extends a ve the surface of the road.4 The remainder of the u )per surface of the impediment is formedo surfaces 16 and 17 extending at an angle substantially greater than a right angle. An arcuate slot 18 is formed transversely of the impediment 12 and receives a stop piece 19, the ends of which are embedded in concrete 10. Prefl erably, lenses 20 are set in the corners of impediments 12. Said lenses may be colored green or orange as may be desired and are so positioned that they will reflect the light from the head light of an approaching fvehicle toward the operator thereof. an. In operation, movable impediments 12 are positioned in the normal paths of the )wheels-on opposite' sides of the point of danger, with projection 15 arranged toward the #"point from which the vehicle will approach. 2o The lenses 7 and 20 will warn-the driver of the approaching car at night, that the road contains an obstruction. In the daytime s'uch obstruction will be plainly visible. If the driver slows down as he approaches pro jection 15, the Wheel 21 of the vehicle will engage the impediment and the weight of the vehicle will overcome the inertia of the comparatively heavy impediment and rotate it to its broken line position, shown in Fig. 2, so that the car will be subjected to no jar whatever. jAs the wheel moves over the other edgeot` 4,the im edilment, that `will be caused to rise when t e wheel depresses the edge 15, the 'impediment is again rotated restoring it to its normal condition with the edge-15 'projecting above the road surface.

If av vehicle should attempt' to cross imedrnent; 12 at high speed a substantial portion of the blow would tend tn bodily move the impediment in the direction of travel of the vehicle, thus increasing the resistance of the impediment to rotation. At lthe same timefunder high speed the downward pressure of the wlieelfacting for a very short time will be insuicient to overcome the incrt-ia' of the heavy impediment or its increased 'riitance to rotation,- andthe impediment will not yield, andthe arrangement; will function as an unyieldng impediv ment' after the manner shown in Fig. 3. It will thus be seen that an impediment is pro vided 'that can be crossed without substantial im' if the driver ofthe vehicle proceeds slow y, and that will provide a real obstacle if tle driver proceeds thereover at high pThe invention may beembodied in other specific forms without departi spiritl or essential 1' characteristics thereof, and vthe present lembodiment isA therefore to from the Leeosse be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive, the scope'of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come. Within the meaning and range of equivalency oi the claims are therefore intended to be embraced thereinr lVhat l claim as my invention is:

l. A roadway having a transverse impediment including yieldable portions extending across said roadwayin position to warn the operators of vehicles of a dangerous place in the roadway. said yieldable portions of said impediment being arranged in the paths of the wheels of the vehicle and being actuated by them in crossing said portions at slow speed but being unyielding to the wheels of vehicles crossing said portions at high speed.

2. An impediment for a roadway comprising a member set in said roadway, said member having a portion thereof projecting upwardly from the surface of the roadway, said member being vyieldably retractable when engaged by the Wheels of a slowly moving vehicle and unyielding to said wheels when the vehicle moves at high speed.

3. An impediment for a roadway com prising a relatively heavy movable member set in said roadway with an edge thereof projecting upwardl' from the rozul surface, said member-boing bodily rockable about an axis transverse to said roadway, said member being so proportioned and arranged that it will be rocked upon its axis to withdraw said edge when the wheels of a vehicle move slowly thercover, but being substantially unyielding to the wheels of a rapidly mov.

undersurfaceand top surfaces arranged ata substantial angle to each other, and means to limit the rocking movement of said mem-v ber on said rounded surface when it is placed in a roadway-with one of said top' surfaces substantially flush with the surface o the road.

7. A. roadway comprising animpediment extending transversely thereof, portions of said impediment being yieldable when engaged by the wheels of slowly moving ve hicles, each of said portions com rising a rounded member set in the roa to rock about an axis extending transversely to the roadand having an edge thereof projecting above the road surface, the inertia of said member being such that it will not yield to forces exerted thereon by the 4wheelx-i of a rapidly moving vehicle.

8. A movable impediment designed to be rotatably mounted in a recess in i1- roadway,

comprism a. member having a body that is said body.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiiix my si gnature.

PERCY W. HODGKINSON. 

